Leach-tank.



PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

J. D. WOOD.

L APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24. 1904,

EACH TANK.

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NITED STATES Patented May 2, 1905.

JAMES D. WOOD, OF CHEBOYGAN, MICHIGAN.

LEACH-TANK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 788,689, dated May 2, 1905.

Application filed June 24,1904. Serial No. 14,032-

To all 1071/0171, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMns D. WOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cheboy gan, in the county of Oheboygan and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Leach-Tank, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to leach-tanks.

The object of the invention is in a ready, certain,thoroughly feasible, and practical man ner to effect discharge of the spent bark from the leaclrtank; to insure that all of the tan ning ingredients present in the bark shall be extracted; to simplify the construction of the device as a whole, and to render the operative parts thereof readily separable where repairs are necessary or for other purposes.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction and combination of parts of a leach-tank for tanbark, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts, there is illustrated one form of embodiment of the invention capable of carrying the same into practical operation, it being understood that the elements therein exhibited may be varied or changed as to shape, proportion, and exfact manner of assemblage without departing from the spirit thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation, partly in section, of a leach-tank con structed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view of a sprinkler that may be used in connection with the machine. Fig. 3 is a detail view of a portion of the bottom of the tank. Fig. 4 is a detail View showing the manner in which the cutting-disks are mounted. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view of a step-bearing used in connection with the apparatus.

The leach-tank 1 may be of the usual or ordinary construction and provided with a per forated or slatted false bottom 2, which is held spaced from the bottom proper, 3, through the medium of a plurality of spacingblocks 4, upon which the false bottom rests,

the said blocks serving to support the heating-coils 6 of the usual or any preferred construction. The tank is provided with a pitchhole 7, which discharges upon a carrier-belt 8, through the agency of which the spent tanbark is conveyed to a place of deposit. Communicating with the intake member of the coils is a valved steam-inlet pipe 9, which leads to a suitable source of supply. (Not necessary to be shown.) To the discharge member of the coils, which extends beyond the tank, is connected a T-coupling 10, that carries an extension provided with a valve 10 and constitutes a discharge for steam or condensed water from the coils, either to the outside air or to another tank.

Disposed above the T-coupling 10 and connected therewith by a section carrying a valve 11 is a four-way coupling 11, with one branch of which connects a pipe carrying a valve 11", which leads to a suitable apparatus, where the extracts are cooled and which are supplied to the pipe by an extension 11, that projects be tween the two bottoms of the tank, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. WVith the remaining member of the four-way coupling there is connected a pipe 12, that extends upward along the outside of the tank and into the tank, the projecting end of the pipe being provided with a valve 13. The function of the pipe 12 is to convey the boiling extracts from the bottom of the tank to the top, thus to effect the extraction of the full strength of the bark or to supply steam or water to the tank, as may be requisite, in order to wash or scald the same to relieve it of accumulated or spent bark. Under the first condition-that is to say, Where the boiling extracts are to be returned to the tankthe valves 10 and 11 are closed and the valve 11 is opened, thus to permit the steam to escape through the pipe 12, the suction exerted by the steam causing the extracts to be drawn through the extension 11 and through the pipe 12 into the tank. Under the second condition that is to say, where water or steam is to be supplied to the tank for cleansing or the like the valves .10

and 11 are closed and the valve 11 is opened,

thereby to permit the steam or water from the coils 6 to pass upward through the pipe 12 and into the tank.

At the center of the bottom 2 is arranged a ster -bearing 14, in which works the lower end of a shaft 15, the upper end of which has a bevel-gear 16, secured to it by a jam or looking bolt 16*. The gear 16 meshes with a pinion 17, carried by a counter-shaft 18, having mounted thereon a sprocket-wheel 19, around which passes a sprocket-chain driven from any suitable source of power, a clutch 18, combined with the counter-shaft, serving to control its operation in the usual manner. The shaft has mounted upon it a hub 20, the opposite sides of which have openings to receive a pair of arms 21, and the hub is loosely keyed to the shaft to permit it to be raised or lowered, as necessary.

Mounted upon each of the arms 21 is a series of disk cutters 22, which are, by preference, slightly dished and are supported by hangers 23, adjustably mounted upon the arms 21. The function of these cutters, which rotate freely on spindles 24, carried by the hangers, is to cut up and reduce the bark to a mushy mass before it escapes, thereby not only to facilitate the removal from the tank of the spent bark, but also to insure a larger output of extract from a given quantity of bark. To secure easy rotation of the disks, ball-bearings 24, Fig. 4, are combined with the spindles for this purpose.

The hub 20 has secured to it a pair of laterally-projecting arms 25, to which are connected one end of each of a pair of ropes or chains 26, the free ends of which carry weights 27, the combined weight of which is slightly less than the weight of the arms 21 and their appurtenances, so that when the cutters are to be removed from the tank a slight down pull upon the ropes or chains will effect ready lifting of the said parts to enable them to be transferred to another tank for continued operation, while when the machine is in operation the arms by their superior gravity automatically move downward, and thus cause the cutters gradually and effectively to cut up or divide the bark. The ropes or chains 26 pass over sheaves 28, carried by an overhead frame presently to be described.

The step-bearing 14E of the shaft has an upstanding exteriorly-threaded collar 28, which is designed to receive a section of pipe 29, Fig. 5, when the shaft 15 is to be replaced after the tank has been supplied with fresh bark, thus in a positive manner to preclude entrance to the bearing of the bark, which would prevent the shaft 15 being properly reseated and might result in breakage of the machine. To remove the shaft, the bolt 16 is loosened and the shaft is lifted out the tank, leaving the cutting mechanism suspended therein and the gear disconnected therefrom.

Prior to refilling the tank with the bark the tube is connected with the collar 28 and the bark is tamped around it. The tube is then disconnected from the collar and carefully withdrawn, so as not to disturb the bark. The cutting mechanism is moved to position over the tank, after which the shaft is inserted through the gear 16 through the hub 20 and carefully passed down through the well formed in the bark by the tube and its lower end positioned within the seat 14. The gear 16 is then brought into engagement with the pinion 17, and the bolt 16 is tightened, thus holding these parts in operative combination.

The mechanism for shifting the cutters and driving mechanisms to difierent tanks may be of any preferred construction, and in this instance is shown as consisting of a wheeled truck 30, carrying uprights 31, upon which are mounted the sheaves 28. This truck is adapted to travel upon rails 32, disposed adjacent to the top of the tank, and may be of any length found necessary or desirable.

The shaft 15 will generally be made of steel and will be removed at the termination of each operation; but, if preferred, a brass shaft may be employed, and when such is the case it will remain within the tank. Gombined with the shaft is a sprinkler, (shown in Fig. 2,) which comprises a plurality of perforated arms 33 and a collar 34:,- through which passes a setscrew 35 to clamp it at any desired adjustment upon the shaft. The function of this sprinkler is to keep the spent bark in the best possible condition before being discharged and also operates to cleanse the shaft of any accumulated matter which might operate to prevent the proper movement of the hub. Of course this sprinkler is not essential and for this reason is not shown combined with the apparatus exhibited in Fig. 1.

In order to regulate the dip of the cutters within the bark, a plurality of regulators are combined with the arms 21, each consisting of a roller 36, preferably of wood, carried by a yoke 37, forming a part of a spindle or shank 38, each spindle being provided with a collar to fit upon the arm and held at any desired adjustment thereon by a bolt 89.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that by the mechanism shown the objectionable and expensive procedure of shoveling up the bark in order to effect its discharge is entirely obviated, that a much larger output of extract from the bulk of bark may be secured, and that provision is made whereby all the parts may be properly adjusted to cause them properly and rapidly to perform the functions for which they are designed, and generally that the structure is exceedingly simple in its arrangements and may be adapted to leach-tanks of the ordinary construction without necessitating any change in their structural arrangement.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed is- 1. The combination with a leach-tank, of rotatable arms carrying cutters, and gravity-operating means for controlling the speed of descent of the cutters into the tank.

2. The combination With a leach-tank, of rotatable arms carrying cutters, and gravity-operating means for controlling the speed of descent of the cutters into the tank and means carried by the arms to regulate the dip of the cutters.

3. The combination With a leach-tank, of rotatable arms carrying rotatable cutters, an overhead truck carrying means for driving the arms, and gravity-controlled counterbalancing devices supported by the truck and operatively connected with the cuttingmechanism.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in 20 the presence of two witnesses.

' JAMES D. WOOD.

Witnesses:

CHAS. A. RAMSEY, GEO. ARMAND. 

